This is the first in a daily series of in-depth evaluations on the top 40 prospects leading up the April 26-28 draft. The series starts with prospect No. 40 Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan State.

Strengths: Worthy is an exceptional athlete with the rare combination of great initial quickness, excellent natural strength, very quick hands and the speed to chase down plays all over the field. (Vital stats: 6-2, 308 pounds, 5.08 40-yard dash)

When he anticipates the snap correctly and maintains good pad level, he explodes off the ball and can shoot gaps to blow up plays in backfield.

When he pass rushes aggressively, he can easily defeat one-on-one pass blocks. He consistently gets inside reach blocks and chases down ball carriers. He has the strength to anchor against run blocks to clog the middle and slow down the inside run, even when he doesn’t shed to make tackle. When he uses hands well, he can shed quickly enough to make impact plays against inside runs.

He has the versatility to become a quality starting end in a 3-4 scheme, a defensive tackle in a 4-3 or even a nose tackle in a 3-4. When he gets close to the play, he has an explosive closing burst to finish the play with hard tackles.

Weaknesses: The biggest issue surrounding Worthy is his lack of a consistent effort on every snap. Too often, he gets upright at the snap, does not use his hands aggressively and allows blockers to get their hands on him first. This leads to him getting tied up and being a non-factor at times. Though he flashes excellent initial quickness, he guesses the snap count most of the time.

Late in games, this makes him vulnerable to being drawn offside by quarterbacks who adjust their cadence. He does not sense side blocks coming, which allows offensive linemen to get on top of him before he is set. He can be tied up and ridden out of the play too easily for a player with his strength.

When he does not rush the QB aggressively, he is not nearly as effective as a bull rusher. If his initial pass-rush move is stopped, he tends to stop moving his feet and become upright.

Draft status: Worthy is an impressive athlete who gets NFL people excited by his upside, potential and, most of all, his versatility. His combination of size, athleticism and strength give him the tools to be successful in any scheme.

Worthy will likely be chosen in the final 10 picks of the first round or the first 10 picks of the second round. At the bottom of the first round, the Pittsburgh Steelers (who pick 24th), Baltimore Ravens (29th) and New England Patriots (31st) will consider Worthy because he has the strength to hold up well at the point of attack and the athleticism to shed and make tackles against the run as an end in those teams’ 3-4 schemes.

If Worthy slips out of the first round, the St. Louis Rams or Indianapolis Colts could jump at the chance to draft him in the first two picks in the second round.

Worthy's ability to consistently get backfield penetration would fit the Rams’ 4-3 perfectly. For the Colts, Worthy would be a good fit as an end as they convert to a 3-4 base defense under new coach Chuck Pagano.